LMC - A Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches has announced a new international partner delegate system aimed at building stronger relationships among groups in the global church. This approach responds to a call for direct involvement by more leaders, along with a more defined framework to facilitate these connections.
LMC plans to assign a person or couple to each area where the organization has global relationships. Currently, delegates have been assigned to four partners. The pairings are Glenn and June Kauffman with Conference of Mennonite Churches in Hong Kong, Bill and Judy Houser with Iglesia Evangelica Menonita de Belice, Steve and Beth Gibbs with Iglesia Evangelica Menonita del Perú, and Joe and Yvonne Garber with Kanisa la Mennonite Tanzania.
LMC currently identifies a total of 23 countries where partners are located. Many of these partners have a connection with LMC through mission work led by Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM). Historically, LMC fraternal bishops would provide a connection to these partners.
In 2018, Mennonite World Conference (MWC) officially accepted LMC as a full member. However, LMC still sees a need to focus on specific relationships with its international partners. According to LMC, there is a diminishing presence of EMM workers among many of these partners, less connection with fraternal bishops, and fewer administrator visits from EMM's Central Administrative Office, meaning there is a need to find new ways to strengthen the LMC-to-national church relationships. LMC's delegates will begin relating to those partner churches that are now autonomous.
The delegate role involves maintaining regular communication with the partner, working with relevant EMM staff for joint trips, attending significant events of the partner, engaging with a new generation of the partner church's leaders, coordinating visits to LMC regions from partners, and additional tasks. While delegates bring a wealth of relational value to these global relationships, they do not make decisions on financial matters. Instead, their primary functions are to listen and engage with faith, discipleship, and church life issues pertaining to LMC and the partner.
Serving as volunteers for renewable five-year terms, delegates are formally appointed by LMC, but the discernment process may include insight from EMM staff and leadership of the partner church. Tom Eshleman, the pastor of Groffdale Mennonite Church, serves as LMC's global delegate, relating to international partners and overseeing the new international partner delegate system.
International partner delegates are encouraged to raise their own funds for expenses. LMC also contacts the delegates' church districts and other supporters to request funding. As funds are received, LMC manages the financial accounts for each delegate.
On Feb. 15 and 16, the current delegates gathered with both LMC and Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) staff at Mennonite Central Committee's Welcoming Place in Akron for an initial orientation. EMM staff provided resourcing for the orientation, covering topics such as ministry philosophies, histories of respective partners, missiological and anthropological resources, and pragmatic education on international partnerships.
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